


"You Reckless Idiot"

by xseaxwitchx



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I will provide if I have to, M/M, PINING KEITH, angst my children, does hunk feel the same? the world may never know, there's need to be more heith content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 08:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13520223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xseaxwitchx/pseuds/xseaxwitchx
Summary: Hunk gets injured, Keith blames himself and is self-deprecating.





	"You Reckless Idiot"

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I’ve fallen into rarepair hell in the Voltron fandom. This is my first time writing them, so hopefully, they’re not too much ooc; I like to think I did well in that department. Anyway, I love my soft boys. I also have a tumblr with the same username, so no plagiarism happening. Drop by to say hi if you like!

One laser, two lasers, three lasers… **  
**

Laser after laser went flying over his head, the shots muffled by the helmet covering his head. He ran in a zig-zag pattern, praying that the shots would continue to miss him as he ran, searching for permit cover to wait for backup. He already felt his hands growing clammy, chest heaving, head starting to swim, his knees wanting to buckle and give out from under him. But he couldn’t. Not yet. He had to keep moving forward.

Just as he nearly gave up, a fort the local rebels built came into view, growing closer the longer he ran.  _Just a little more, just a little more,_ he chanted to himself. Suddenly, he tripped on a rock, barely catching himself with his elbows as a searing pain broke through his ankle and he groaned in an effort to keep from screaming. He normally had a higher pain tolerance, but his body remained exhausted, overexerted, and running low on adrenaline.

He flipped himself over, getting a good look at his ankle. Unfortunately, it bent at an unnatural angle, telling Keith the bone broke. Panic filled him as he attempted to get up, but crumpled back to the ground when he so much as tipped lightly unto his broken ankle. This time, he didn’t hold back on the screech of pain.

“Kei-zzz- are you al—-zzzz,” came through his helmet comm system. Due to the static interference that they all failed to account for, he couldn’t tell whom the voice belonged to. He grunted, starting to army crawl across the ground in a vain attempt to get to the fort. A laser landed right beside his head, startling him, but not stopping him.

Through all the chaos happening around him, he thought he faintly heard someone call his name. Gradually, the voice came closer, his name becoming clearer, but still slightly muffled due to the unusable state of the comms and the helmet itself. His head snapped up, taking in the yellow coloring of the armor in various places. “Nonono,” Keith stated weakly, gently (trying to) push the yellow paladin away. No one needs to rescue him; he’s come to terms with his fate long ago–he’ll die on a battlefield, alone, with no hero’s honor, no final moments, no last big stand, just him and the ground of a foreign planet, long forgotten. Maybe Shiro’ll mourn him, but no one else.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Keith,” started Hunk exasperatedly, “you’re getting out of here alive.” He moved to pick up Keith bridal style but stopped when the older paladin scooched away from his reach. In that moment, both paladins just stared at each other, eyes locked as if searching the other for an answer to a question neither of them asked. The sounds of battle faded from their ears, timing halting to a standstill.

A laser to Hunk’s side shocked them both out of their state, Keith’s deep lavender eyes growing wide and instinctively shot out a hand to Hunk as the yellow paladin stumbled to the dirt. Hunk squeezed his eyes shut for a second, only to reopen them and set within a fiery determination that frankly had Keith shrinking back a little; he’s only ever seen such intensity once from the gentle giant, back when they saved Shay and her people on Bulmera.

Putting up his shield and wielding his bayard, Hunk ran into the fray, taking out all 28 gunmen, Of course, Keith couldn’t see the action from his spot on the ground. He turned his head back around to the fort, seeing someone–the rebel general, maybe?–running from the fort over to him. The creatures that inhabited this planet possessed a lithe build, but enough strength to carry a fully-grown oak tree like as if a feather from a bird.

“Come, Red Paladin, for you are injured and are in need of care,” the creature told Keith calmly, bending down to pick him up bridal style without waiting for a reply. Sighing dejectedly, Keith roped his arms around the creatures neck to stabilize himself and prevent himself from falling out of the creature’s arms.

Slowly the creature walked, careful footsteps taking them closer to medical care. Keith’s eyes wanted to so badly close, to moisturize the dryness and catch up on lost sleep.

“No, young paladin, you must stay awake; we do not yet know the extent of the injuries you sustained in battle,” the creature softly chastised. Yeah, that voice offered no help to Keith one bit in keeping his eyes open. Neither was the steady, slow rhythm of the creature’s walking.

Before he knew it, they passed the threshold of the fort. No one spared the pair a glance as they walked through the busy stations, the lights steadily getting brighter as they neared what Keith would guess to be the medical bay. The room proved him right.

The creature settled Keith on a bed, then moved to confer with who he guessed was the doctor. They spoke to each other in their native tongue, so Keith caught none of the conversation in his effort to stay conscious.

As soon as his eyes slid shut they snapped back open at the ruckus that met his ears complete with yelling. He lifted himself up by one elbow, catching the sight of another of the inhabitants hurriedly bringing Hunk to the cot next to him. The harsh orders from the creature that brought Keith in fell silent on his ears and Keith’s body stiffened in terror.

Laying across from him was Hunk, whose uniform donned gashes, rips, tears, burned edges. His breathing came in quick and shallow, blood slowly dribbling down the side of his head, staining the orange bandana. His brown skin, so usually rich with life and color, now ashy, bordering on the color of death.

It was unnatural. It was the opposite of Hunk. It was Keith’s fault.

His attention jerked back to reality as someone tried coaching him through breathing. Too caught up in Hunk’s current state, Keith failed to notice someone tore his helmet off, failed to notice being on the verge of hyperventilation, failed to notice the whites of his knuckles as he gripped the sheets of the cot, failed to notice the hot streams staining his cheeks.

The creature grabbed each of his shoulders and the sides of his head, forcing him to look directly at itself. “Red Paladin, breath with me. Stare into my eyes and breath with me.”

He brought his eyes to look into the creature’s, staring deeply into the swirling sea green and liquid gold. He forced himself to listen, to breath. He brought his hands up to his head, tightly covering the creature’s hands with more force than necessary; the creature did not flinch.

“Listen, Red Paladin, your friend is in good hands. He will survive. He will pull through. Good job, keep breathing like that. That’s it, in and out.”

Eventually, he managed to calm down enough for the creature to let go of his face but still kept its hands placed firmly on his shoulders.

“Repeat after me: My friend will survive; he will pull through.”

Keith struggled with the words at first, staring at the various needles and tubes that stuck out of Hunk, at the gauze wrapped in several places, at the breathing mask situated on Hunk’s face. Keith looked down at his own broken ankle, pleasantly shocked he didn’t notice there was someone already taking care of it.

He looked back at the creature, a warm smile settled across its features. “M-My friend…,” he started, but couldn’t finish. Why? Why couldn’t he finish it? Maybe it’s because “friend” is the wrong word, his brain told him.

“I am not here to rush you, Red Paladin; take your time.”

He breathed deeply, shifting his eyes to stare at something other than Hunk to his left or the creature in front of him. “My, uh, friend…,” he started, still feeling odd at the word, “…yeah, friend, he, um, will survive; he’ll pull…pull through.”

“Good,” encouraged the creature, “say it again.”

Keith repeated it three more times, each stronger than the next, but not necessarily believing it.

By the time he calmed down enough to not alert the medical staff, his ankle was fully bandaged and he sunk into the pillows on the cot. He ran his hands through his hair as he bit his bottom lip.

Guilt sunk in and spread through his body like a virus, causing him to go limp and retreat into himself. To punish himself further, his mind brought up memories, memories of the good times.

_“Hey, Keith! Wait up!” He heard Hunk’s voice from behind him accompanied by heavy footsteps, telling Keith Hunk was running. He turned around, a delicate smile gracing his features as he looked on at the approaching figure._

_“Hey, Hunk. What can I do for you?” Keith asked. His full body and attention gave themselves to the gentle giant, patiently waiting. Yes, his impatience was infamous, but it’s hard to be with Hunk._

_“Gimme a second. I haven’t…haven’t run like that for a while,” panted Hunk, trying to regain his proper breathing. “Okay, so, I found these new edible plants and they’re basically similar to honey, but without the bee part. I’m planning on making a dessert with it and I want you to be my guinea pig?”_

_Keith’s smile widened slightly, then faltered a little. Hunk didn’t seem to notice. “Now why would you ask me? Everyone else too busy?”_ Last choice again, as always _, he thought._

_“Actually, you’re the first person I asked. No, not everyone is busy, but I wanted to hang out with you. And maybe vent a little, if that’s okay? I mean, I don’t have to, it’s just that Lance doesn’t pay attention half the time and now I’m rambling.”_

_Keith’s smile turned into a full-out gleeful grin. Hunk chose him first. Turns out maybe he’s not invisible to the right people._

_An idea popped into his mind. “Hey, Hunk?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg.” Keith took off in the direction of the kitchens, followed by a good-natured laugh and grumbling._

He glanced back at Hunk. That memory was the second time he joked with Hunk, something he found so easy to do. Ever since their return from the Weblum, the boys grew closer, Keith finding solace in Hunk’s non-judgmental personality, in his hugs.

Keith’s mouth upturned as another memory surfaced.

_He sat at the kitchen island, spooning space goo into his mouth after his training session. His damp hair hung in his eyes and clothes clung to clean skin. He had a towel around his neck in an attempt to keep his shirt dry, water still dripping from his mullet._

_His body perked up a little at hearing heavy footsteps approaching. He turned around to find Hunk strolling into the room, humming tunelessly to himself. Keith waited to see how long it took for Hunk to notice him._

_Hunk walked right past him, not even acknowledging Keith’s presence. Keith’s spirit fell; did he do something wrong? Hunk always greeted him, threw a bright smile his way._

_“Hey, Keith, I was wondering, do ya wanna come to my room? I’m tinkering with some new tech.”_

_“And?” asked Keith, crestfallen._

_“Aaaaand I want some company. I know you won’t talk my ears off, although I might talk yours off,” Hunk answered matter-of-factly._

_Keith’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “You want me, the hothead, to keep you company because I don’t talk much?”_

_Hunk’s eyes widen a little when he picked up on the unsaid. “No. Well, that’s an added bonus. Nah, you’re a good friend and in light of, well, the unfounded hatred towards you, I figured you need a place free of judgment.”_

_Keith’s heart nearly melted. Since when did Keith of all people start to get sappy? When did Hunk become cute? Why is this all happening?_

_Despite himself, a genuine grin split his face as he got up, grabbed his bowl, and started walking backward towards the exit. “You comin’?” he directed at Hunk._

_The addressed grabbed a few water pouches, then walked over to Keith. They walked in near-silence back to Hunk’s room. That night, neither of them left the room and no one bothered them. They had good laughs and, for the first time since finding out his Galra heritage, Keith felt relaxed, happy._

_He yawned, then suddenly remembered that he sat in Hunk’s room, on Hunk’s bed. “I’m gonna go back to my room and sleep,” he announced._

_Hunk looked him in the eyes, then back to whatever tech gadget he held. “If you wanna, Keith, you can stay and sleep here. I haven’t seen you have this good a time in a while; it would be a shame if you ran into someone on your way back.”_

_Keith gave it thought. “Where will you sleep?”_

_“I can sleep on the floor.”_

_“I’m not doing that to you, Hunk.”_

_“Fine. We can share the bed. But just so you know, I’m a snuggler.”_

_Surprising even himself, Keith crawled over to Hunk’s side, leaning his full body weight onto Hunk’s side, closing his eyes as he once more yawned. No, Keith didn’t mind that at all._

A warm feeling spread through Keith at the memory. He remembered being drawn to Hunk but initially had no idea why. After all their time spent together, maybe he had an idea.

He sighed, knowing him and Hunk would be there for awhile; no radio or comm systems worked on this planet because of the magnetic energy of the planet’s core, which disrupted and essentially cut all electronic communications. Unfortunately, the paladins got separated and now the rest of the team would have to comb through 30 different rebel bases to find Hunk and Keith.

“You reckless idiot,” Keith mumbled under his breath, closing his eyes to try to get some amount of sleep. Honestly, he didn’t know whom he was calling an idiot: Hunk, who ran into battle, willing to die or himself, who had the audacity to think he deserved even an ounce of love from whom he’s fallen in love with.


End file.
